Building construction

ABSTRACT

Inner and outer mold members are moved into juxtaposition on a building site to provide a cavity for casting a monolithic shell, open at one end and consisting of two side walls, one end wall and the roof of a building. After filling said cavity with hardenable material and subsequent withdrawal of the mold members from the shell, a utility unit is moved into the shell through said open end, which is thereafter closed with a window and door containing wall.

United States Patent 1 Delorean 1 Dec. 18, 1973 1 BUILDING CONSTRUCTION[76] Inventor: John Zachary Delorean, 640 Lone Pine Hill, BloomfieldHills, Mich. 48013 22 Filed: July 24, 1972 211 Appl. No.: 274,779

[52] HS. Cl 52/745, 249/27, 264/31 [51] Int. Cl E04b l/35 [58] Field ofSearch 52/743, 741, 745; 264/31, 35, 32, 33; 249/27 [56] ReferencesCited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,219,272 3/1917 Edison 264/31 2,595,1234/1952 Callan 52/741 2,966,718 l/1961 Dave i 264/33 3,182,374 5/1965Cook 249/27 3,490,729 1/1970 Luce et a1 249/27 3,558,095 l/l971 McNiel264/31 X 3,616,592 11/1971 Rothman .1 52/745 3,696,177 10/1972 Holland264/33 X Primary Examiner-Price C. Faw, Jr. Attorney-Gerald E. McGlynn,Jr. et a1.

[57] ABSTRACT lnner and outer mold members are moved into juxtapositionon a building site to provide a cavity for casting a monolithic shell,open at one end and consisting of two side walls, one end wall and theroof of a building. After filling said cavity with hardenable materialand subsequent withdrawal of the mold members from the shell, a utilityunit is moved into the shell through said open end, which is thereafterclosed with a window and door containing wall.

15 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PATENTEB DEB I 8 0975 3.778.953 SBEEI 2H!3 minnow: l a ma 3.778.953

SHEET 3 [If 3 BUILDING CONSTRUCTION BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THEINVENTION This invention relates to building construction, andparticularly to low cost housing units and the like having cast wallsand roofs.

All methods heretofore employed in the construction of modular or lowcost housing, of which I am aware, have suffered from failure toeliminate enough of the on-site labor required in producing units whichare comparable in appearance and utility to those of conventionalconstruction. Mobile home builders have virtually eliminated the on-sitelabor costs, but such units are apparently considered by many to be aform of second-class housing for aesthetic reasons.

I have found that such problems and deficiencies can be avoided by anovel method of on-site construction which makes use of inner and outermold members to cast a monolithic shell constituting two side walls, oneend wall and the roof of the building.

1 am aware that it is old, as shown in prior U. S. Pat. Nos. 1,219,272Edison, 1,539,023 Roberts, 2,324,554 Billner and 3,490,729 Luce et al.,to cast a complete building, including the walls and roof, by firstconstructing an upwardly open mold therefore on the building site andthen filling it with poured concrete or clay. Such constructions,however, are too time consuming and costly in the amount of skilledlabor required to construct and disassemble the molds, with the resultthat little or no economic advantage is obtained over more conventionalbuilding methods. It is also not broadly new to cast concrete buildingwalls and/or ceilings using mold-forming apparatus which is mounted onwheels or skids for portability and maneuverability about the buildingsite. Examples of the latter are shown in U. S. Pat. Nos. 1,156,830Williams et al., 2,331,657 Crom, 2,530,102 Von Bampus, 2,966,718 Dave,3,482,005 Quentin, 3,558,095 McNiel and 3,659,977 Haws. Such teachings,however, are not applicable to the casting, in one operation, of amonolithic building shell including two side walls, one end wall and aroof; nor do they suggest the advantages of forming such a shell as anintermediate step in the process of constructing low cost housing unitsand the like.

The building shell cast in accordance with the invention may be providedwith reinforcing means imbedded in the walls and roof, and afterwithdrawing the mold members from the shell the interior and exteriorsurfaces of the shell may be spray painted and the roof given aprotective coating of tar and gravel. Also, since the shell thus formedis open at one end, any large structure which the building is toenclose, such as a prefabricated bath-kitchen-utility unit, may beinserted therein through said open end. A second end wall for closingsuch open end may be cast or poured adjacent thereto on the site andthen tipped up and cemented or otherwise sealingly secured to the sidewalls and roof of the shell to complete the building. Door and windowopenings are easily provided in the walls of the shell by attachingsuitable cores therefor to the wall-defining surfaces of one of the moldmembers prior to its association with the other mold member for thecasting of the shell.

It is thus the object of my invention to provide an improved method ofconstructing low cost buildings suitable for housing units and the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The manner in which these and otherobjects and advantages of the invention are attained is illustrated inthe attached drawings wherein:

FIG. I is an elevational view, largely diagrammatic, showing the innerand outer mold members prior to their being brought together to form themold for casting a building shell.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, except showing the inner and outermold members in longitudinal/vertical section, and in juxtaposition forcasting the building shell.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view in perspective of the cast building shellper se in solid lines, and indicating in broken outline a door andwindow containing end wall for closing the open end of the shell.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view of a completed house constructed inaccordance with the invention, with the side and end walls shown insection.

FIG. 5 is a further enlarged end view of the inner and outer moldmembers in their respective positions for casting the building shellover a previously poured concrete floor, certain portions being brokenaway and in section to show means of reinforcing, coring and anchoringof the shell.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a core for a window opening.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the attachment of awindow opening core between the inner and outer mold members.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a prefabricated windowunit and outer frame member installed in a cored opening in the buildingshell.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view showing how the cast walls may beanchored to the building floor by a retainer strip which also serves asa water barrier between the walls and the floor.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view showing how the cast walls maybe anchored to the building floor by a wall reinforcement element in theform of a flanged metal strip having perforations in its web section.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings,and first to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, inner and outer mold forming members 1and 2 are used to form a closed mold cavity 3, into which concrete orother hardenable material such as foamable liquid urethane is poured orpumped to form a shell 4 of a building having a roof 5, two side walls 6and 7, and one end wall 8 (FIG. 4). The inner mold member I isconstructed with contiguous external side, end and roof forming surfaces9, I0 and 11 conforming to the interior configuration of the buildingshell 4; and the outer mold member is constructed with contiguousinternal surfaces l2, l3 and 14 conforming to the exterior configurationof the shell. The end 15 of the outer mold member is open to accommodatetelescopic juxtapositioning of the members into their cavity formingrelation shown in FIG. 2, and the corresponding end of the inner moldmember is provided with a flange 16 which abuts such open end 15 of theouter member to effect the closing of the mold cavity. Each of the moldmembers may be provided with wheels, as indicated at 17 and 18, forportability and maneuverability about the building site, and withsuitable wheel retraction means (not shown) for enabling the side andend surfaces of the mold members to extend to the floor of the buildingduring casting of the shell. Su'cli a floor is shown at 19 in FIGS. 1and 2 as a poured concrete slab, which has previously been laid on thebuilding site as the first step in constructing the building.

Reinforcement of the side walls and roof of the building may be providedby installing a series of generally hoop-shaped metal elements atlongitudinally spaced intervals over the inner mold member. Theseelements, one of which is shown at 20 in FIG. 5, may be eitherprefabricated or cut and bent to shape adjacent the building site. Inany event, the elements 20 spacedly straddle the side and roof facingsurfaces 9, 11 of the inner mold member, and preferably are secured bycementing their lower ends in recesses 21 in the floor 19. Also, aseries of vertical stud-like metal elements 22 may be placed in spacedrelation opposite the end surfaces of the inner mold member forreinforcing the end wall of the building shell, and similarly anchoredby cementing their lower ends in recesses in the floor. It will beappreciated that a series of such recesses 21 may be provided adjacentthe perimeter of the floor 19 during the pouring of the concrete slabtherefor.

Additional reinforcement of the roof may be provided, as shown in FIG.5, by placing an I-beam 23 to extend longitudinally above the inner moldmember. The forward end of this I-beam can be temporarily supported invarious ways during casting of the shell, as, for example, by tying itto one or more of the hoopshaped elements 20. At its rear end, theI-beam 23 rests on the upper end of a vertical I-beam 24 which takes theplace of one of the stud-like elements 22.

Window and door openings may be located where desired by placing corestherefor in the mold cavity. Two such window opening cores 25 are shownextending between the side wall facing surfaces 9, 12 of the inner andouter mold members in FIG. 5. As best seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, such a core25 may be a box-shaped frame of the proper external length and width toprovide the desired size opening, and of the same thickness as the moldcavity. Each such core is first attached, as by screws 26 extendingthereinto through one of the mold members, and then when both moldmembers are in their proper positions on the building floor, additionalscrews 26 may be used to effect a tight abutment of the core with theoppositely facing wall surface of the other mold member. Obviously,similar cores of desired length and width may be attached to the moldmembers in the same way for providing door openings in the shell wall.

In thus constructing the shell 4 for a building, the inner mold member 1is first preferably moved into place on the floor 19 as shown in FIG. 1.Thence, the

window opening cores 25 are attached thereto by the screws 26, and thehoop-shaped elements 20, stud-like elements 22, horizontal I-beam 23 andvertical I-beams 24 are installed, and the lower ends of the beam 24 andelements 20, 22 are cemented in place in the floor recesses 21. Next,the outer mold member 2 is moved into place on the floor and secured tothe window opening cores by the screws 26, and the cavity 3 thus formedis then filled with foamable urethane, concrete or other hardenablematerial to be used for the casting. An opening 27 in the roof formingwall of the outer mold member 2 is shown in FIG. 5, through which suchmaterial may be directed into the mold cavity. When such castingmaterial has hardened, the core attaching screws 26 are first removed,the inner and outer mold members are next withdrawn, and finally thecores 25 are withdrawn from the cast shell.

The interior surfaces and exterior wall surfaces of the shell may thenbe spray painted, and the exterior surface of the roof given aprotective coating of tar and gravel. Each window opening 28 may also befitted with a prefabricated window unit 29 and an outer trim member 30attached thereto, as shown in FIG. 8.

Next, any large items which the building is to enclose, such as theprefabricated bath-kitchen-utility unit 31, cupboard 32 and interiorpartition 33 shown in FIG. 4, may be moved into the shell through itsopen end and connected to service lines 41, 42 (FIG. 5) providedtherefor in the floor 19, after which this open end may be closed by theaddition of a second end wall 34, thus completing the building.

This second end wall 34, of urethane foam or concrete, may be cast onthe building site in the manner conventionally used for pouring concretefloors. Such an on-site cast wall 34 may, as indicated in FIG. 3, beformed horizontally adjacent the open end of the shell 4, and thentipped up into closing relation with such open end, and thereaftersealed with cement to the walls and roof of the shell. During thecasting thereof, stud-like reinforcement elements similar to those shownin FIG. 4, as well as an I-beam 35 (FIG. 4) for supporting the forwardend of the horizontal I-beam 23, may be cast in place therein.

For buildings in which it is desired to provide a posi t ive waterbarrier at the juncture between the walls and the floor, a generallyZ-section strip 37, of any fluid impervious material, may be employed asshown in FIG. 9. The lower flanged portion of such strip would beimbedded in the floor 19 during the pouring thereof, with the upperflange portion extending into the mold cavity so as to be imbedded inthe building wall during the casting of the shell 4. By using such astrip 37 made of steel or other rigid and strong material, it will alsoserve to anchor the building wall to the floor. Thus, buildings notrequiring the reinforcement provided by the previously describedhoop-shaped elements 20 and the studlike elements 22 may be anchored tothe floor by such metal strips 37.

As shown in FIG. 10, channel or l-beam section aluminum strips 38 havingside flanges 39 and a web 40 with perforations 41 may be used as a meansfor reinforcing and anchoring the shell to the building floor. Suchstrips 38, because of the relative ease with which they can be cut andbent, are preferred for making the previously described hoop-shapedelements 20 and stud-like elements 22, where this fabrication work is tobe performed on the building site.

The invention claimed is:

l. The method of on-site construction of a building having a floor, twoside walls, two end walls and a roof, comprising the steps of: layingthe floor for a building; telescopically moving into position over saidfloor inner and outer mold-forming members to form a closed mold cavityfor casting a monolithic partial shell of said building consisting ofsaid two side walls, one wall and a roof: filling said mold cavity withhardenable material to produce said shell; withdrawing said members fromthe shell after the material thereof is hardened, forming a second endwall and securing it to said side walls and roof to complete said shell.

2. The method of claim 1, including the step of inserting aprefabricated service unit into said partial shell prior to securingsaid second end wall to said side walls and roof.

3. The method of claim 1, including the step of attaching a wall openingcore to the exterior of said inner mold forming member prior to movingsaid other mold forming member into position over said floor.

4. The method of claim 3, including the step of detaching said core fromthe inner mold forming member after withdrawing said outer mold formingmember from the shell and prior to withdrawing said inner mold formingmember from the shell.

5. The method of claim 1, including the step of placing shellreinforcement elements adjacent the exterior of said inner mold formingmember prior to moving said outer mold forming member into position oversaid floor.

6. The method of on-site construction of buildings, comprising the stepsof: laying a floor for a building; constructing an inner mold formingmember having external surfaces defining the internal configuration oftwo side walls, one end wall and a roof for said building; constructingan outer mold forming member having internal surfaces defining theexternal configuration of said building walls and roof; moving each ofsaid mold forming members onto said floor with said internal andexternal surfaces of the members correspondingly oriented to provide aclosed mold cavity therebetween; thence filling said cavity withhardenable material to form a monolithic shell of said building havingone open end and consisting of two side walls, said one end wall andsaid roof; and thence withdrawing said mold members from the shell whensaid material is substantially hardened.

7. The method of claim 6, including the further step of forming a secondend wall for said building and securing it to the side walls ofsaidshell to close said open end thereof.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said further step includes formingsaid second end wall in a horizontal plane with its base portionadjacent said open end of the shell and then tipping said second endwall upwardly into closing relation with said open end of the shell.

9. The method of claim 6, including the step of inserting aprefabricated service unit into the shell through said open end thereof.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein one of said mold forming members isfirst moved onto said floor and shell reinforcement elements are placedadjacent said external surfaces of said inner mold forming member, priorto moving the other of said mold forming members onto said floor.

11. The method of claim 6, including the step of attaching an upstandingwall retaining strip to said floor adjacent the perimeter thereof so asto extend upwardly from the floor and into said mold cavity when saidmold forming members are moved onto said floor.

12. The method of claim 6, including the step of attaching wall openingcores to one of said mold forming members prior to completing said stepof moving each of said mold forming members onto said floor.

13. The method of constructing a building having a floor, two sidewalls, two end walls and a roof, comprising the steps of: constructing aconcrete slab floor of sufficient width and length to underlie the sideand end walls of said building and having upwardly open recesses thereinin spaced apart relation along each side; placing on said floor an innermold member having contiguous external surfaces defining the internalconfiguration of said two side walls, one of said end walls and the roofof said building; placing wall and roof reinforcement hoop-shapedelements over said inner mold member and imbedding the lower ends ofsaid elements in concrete within said recesses along the sides of thebuilding floor; placing on said floor an outer mold member havingcontiguous internal surfaces defining the external configuration of saidbuilding side walls, one end wall and roof with said outer mold membersurfaces in spaced corresponding relation with said inner mold membersurfaces; filling the spaces between said mold members and reinforcementelements with hardenable material to form a monolithic shell of saidbuilding, open at one end; thence withdrawing said inner mold memberaway from the open end of said shell and the outer mold member away fromthe end wall of said shell; and thereafter constructing a second endwall for closing said shell open end and securing said second end wallin closing relation with the open end of the shell.

14. The method of claim 13, including the step of moving a prefabricatedutility unit onto said floor through the open end of said shell.

15. The method of claim 13, including the steps of attaching a windowopening core to one of said mold member surfaces prior to placing thesecond of said mold members on the floor, and attaching the oppositesurface of said mold member to said core after said second mold memberis placed on the floor; detaching said mold members from said core aftersaid shell has hardened, and prior to withdrawing said mold members fromthe shell; and withdrawing said core from the shell after said moldmembers have been withdrawn from the shell.

1. The method of on-site construction of a building having a floor, twoside walls, two end walls and a roof, comprising the steps of: layingthe floor for a building; telescopically moving into position over saidfloor inner and outer mold-forming members to form a closed mold cavityfor casting a monolithic partial shell of said building consisting ofsaid two side walls, one wall and a roof: filling said mold cavity withhardenable material to produce said shell; withdrawing said members fromthe shell after the material thereof is hardened, forming a second endwall and securing it to said side walls and roof to complete said shell.2. The method of claim 1, including the step of inserting aprefabricated service unit into said partial shell prior to securingsaid second end wall to said side walls and roof.
 3. The method of claim1, including the step of attaching a wall opening core to the exteriorof said inner mold forming member prior to moving said other moldforming member into position over said floor.
 4. The method of claim 3,including the step of detaching said core from the inner mold formingmember after withdrawing said outer mold forming member from the shelland prior to withdrawing said inner mold forming member from the shell.5. The method of claim 1, including the step of placing shellreinforcement elements adjacent the exterior of said inner mold formingmember prior to moving said outer mold forming member into position oversaid floor.
 6. The method of on-site construction of buildings,comprising the steps of: laying a floor for a building; constructing aninner mold forming member having external surfaces defining the internalconfiguration of two side walls, one end wall and a roof for saidbuilding; constructing an outer mold forming member having internalsurfaces defining the external configuratIon of said building walls androof; moving each of said mold forming members onto said floor with saidinternal and external surfaces of the members correspondingly orientedto provide a closed mold cavity therebetween; thence filling said cavitywith hardenable material to form a monolithic shell of said buildinghaving one open end and consisting of two side walls, said one end walland said roof; and thence withdrawing said mold members from the shellwhen said material is substantially hardened.
 7. The method of claim 6,including the further step of forming a second end wall for saidbuilding and securing it to the side walls of said shell to close saidopen end thereof.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein said further stepincludes forming said second end wall in a horizontal plane with itsbase portion adjacent said open end of the shell and then tipping saidsecond end wall upwardly into closing relation with said open end of theshell.
 9. The method of claim 6, including the step of inserting aprefabricated service unit into the shell through said open end thereof.10. The method of claim 6, wherein one of said mold forming members isfirst moved onto said floor and shell reinforcement elements are placedadjacent said external surfaces of said inner mold forming member, priorto moving the other of said mold forming members onto said floor. 11.The method of claim 6, including the step of attaching an upstandingwall retaining strip to said floor adjacent the perimeter thereof so asto extend upwardly from the floor and into said mold cavity when saidmold forming members are moved onto said floor.
 12. The method of claim6, including the step of attaching wall opening cores to one of saidmold forming members prior to completing said step of moving each ofsaid mold forming members onto said floor.
 13. The method ofconstructing a building having a floor, two side walls, two end wallsand a roof, comprising the steps of: constructing a concrete slab floorof sufficient width and length to underlie the side and end walls ofsaid building and having upwardly open recesses therein in spaced apartrelation along each side; placing on said floor an inner mold memberhaving contiguous external surfaces defining the internal configurationof said two side walls, one of said end walls and the roof of saidbuilding; placing wall and roof reinforcement hoop-shaped elements oversaid inner mold member and imbedding the lower ends of said elements inconcrete within said recesses along the sides of the building floor;placing on said floor an outer mold member having contiguous internalsurfaces defining the external configuration of said building sidewalls, one end wall and roof with said outer mold member surfaces inspaced corresponding relation with said inner mold member surfaces;filling the spaces between said mold members and reinforcement elementswith hardenable material to form a monolithic shell of said building,open at one end; thence withdrawing said inner mold member away from theopen end of said shell and the outer mold member away from the end wallof said shell; and thereafter constructing a second end wall for closingsaid shell open end and securing said second end wall in closingrelation with the open end of the shell.
 14. The method of claim 13,including the step of moving a prefabricated utility unit onto saidfloor through the open end of said shell.
 15. The method of claim 13,including the steps of attaching a window opening core to one of saidmold member surfaces prior to placing the second of said mold members onthe floor, and attaching the opposite surface of said mold member tosaid core after said second mold member is placed on the floor;detaching said mold members from said core after said shell hashardened, and prior to withdrawing said mold members from the shell; andwithdrawing said core from the shell after said mold members have beenwithdrawn from the shell.